Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange

Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (2 November 1709 – 12 January 1759) was the second child and eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain and his consort, Caroline of Ansbach. She was the spouse of William IV, Prince of Orange, the first hereditary stadtholder of the Netherlands. Princess Anne was the second daughter of a British sovereign to hold the title Princess Royal. She was Regent of the Netherlands from 1751 until her death in 1759, exercising extensive powers on behalf of her son William V. Because of her English upbringing and family connections, she was known as an Anglophile - despite being unable to convince the Dutch Republic to enter the Seven Years' War on the side of the British.

Early life

Duchess Anne of Brunswick-Lunenburg was born at Herrenhausen Palace, Hanover, five years before her paternal grandfather, Elector George Louis, succeeded to the British throne as George I. She was christened shortly after birth at Herrenhausen Palace.^[1] She was named after her paternal grandfather's second cousin Anne, Queen of Great Britain.^[2]

She learned German, French and English,^[3] and was taught music (including singing, harpsichord, and composition) by Georg Friedrich Händel. Händel did not like teaching, but said he would "make the only exception for Anne, flower of princesses".^[4] She remained a life-long supporter, attending his operas and subscribing to his music.

She contracted and survived smallpox in 1720,^[5] and two years later her mother helped to popularise the practice of variolation (an early type of immunisation against smallpox), which had been witnessed by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and Charles Maitland in Constantinople. At the direction of Caroline, six prisoners condemned to death were offered the chance to undergo variolation instead of execution: they all survived, as did six orphan children given the same treatment as a further test. Convinced of its medical value, the Queen had her two younger daughters, Amelia and Caroline, inoculated successfully.^[6] Amelia's face was scarred by the disease, and she was not considered as pretty as her two younger sisters.^[7]

Princess Royal

On 30 August 1727, George II created his eldest daughter Princess Royal. Charles I first bestowed this title on his eldest daughter, Mary, Princess of Orange (mother of William III), in 1642. However, the title fell from use until the reign of George II. (Princess Anne became Princess Royal during the lifetime of her aunt, Queen Sophia Dorothea of Prussia, who had been eligible for this honour but did not receive it.)

Marriage

A potential marriage contract between Anne and King Louis XV of France was eventually discarded when the French insisted that Anne convert to Roman Catholicism.^[3] On 25 March 1734 (New Style) in the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace, she married William IV, Prince of Orange.^[8] William had a spinal deformity, which affected his appearance, but Anne said she would marry him even "if he were a baboon".^[9] She ceased to use her British style in favour of the title she gained by marriage. The music played on her wedding, This is the day was set by Händel to the princess's own words based on Psalms 45 and 118.^[10] She quarreled with her brother, the Prince of Wales, about her choice.

William and Anne sailed to Holland after a honeymoon at Kew. Anne soon felt homesick when her husband went on campaign in the Rhineland, and she travelled back to England believing herself to be pregnant. Eventually, her husband and father commanded her to return to Holland.^[11] By April 1735, it was clear she was not with child after all.^[12] In 1736, she did become pregnant, but the child (a daughter) was stillborn.^[13]

Regency

When her husband died at the age of 40 in 1751, Anne was appointed regent for her 3 year-old son, Prince William V. She was hard-working, but arrogant and imperious, which made her unpopular.^[14] This would help William later in his tough life. The 1750s were years of increasing tension and commercial rivalry between Holland and Britain, which placed her in a difficult position.^[15]

Later life

She continued to act as regent until her death from dropsy in 1759, at The Hague, Netherlands, when she was replaced by her mother-in-law, Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel, and by Duke Louis Ernest of Brunswick-Lüneburg. When she too died, Anne's daughter, Carolina, was made regent until William V turned 18 in 1766.

Princess Anne, Maryland is named for her.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 2 November 1709 – 27 September 1714: Her Serene Highness Duchess Anne of Brunswick-Lüneburg
• 27 September 1714 – 11 June 1727: Her Royal Highness Princess Anne^[16]
• 11 June – 30 August 1727: Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne
• 30 August 1727 – 25 March 1734: Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal
• 25 March 1734 – 22 October 1751: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Orange
• 22 October 1751 – 12 January 1759: Her Royal Highness The Princess-Regent of Friesland

Arms

On 31 January 1719, as a grandchild of the sovereign, Anne was granted use of the arms of the realm, differenced by a label argent of five points, each bearing a cross gules. On 30 August 1727, as a child of the sovereign, Anne's difference changed to a label argent of three points, each bearing a cross gules.^[17]

Issue

The Prince and Princess of Orange-Nassau had a stillborn son, in 1735. Their other children were:

Ancestors

References

• Van der Kiste, John (1997) George II and Queen Caroline. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-1321-5

External links

• Royal House of Great-Britain and Royal House of Ireland
• Princely House of Nassau-Dietz and Princely House of Orange